Sports

Bob Wolfley | SportsDay

Will Packers' no-huddle fly in the din of Seattle?

The Packers in the preseason uncorked a robust commitment to the no-huddle offense on the road in St. Louis against the Rams and at home against the Oakland Raiders.

But can the no-huddle be as effective in the chaotic caldron of CenturyLink Field in Seattle, when the Packers play the champion Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, in a game to be aired nationally on NBC?

We put that question to NBC's lead studio analysts, Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison, during a conference call Tuesday.

Dungy said the amount of time a team spends practicing and using the hurry-up attack has a bearing on how effective it can be on the road in dins of inequity.

"By the time I got to Indianapolis, they had done so much with the no-huddle, it really didn't matter," Dungy said. "We went to Kansas City and places where it was loud. There's just very little talking. Everything was done with hand signals. Everything was done in nonverbal communication so the noise factor wasn't a factor.

"You know you are not going to be able to hear the snap count," Dungy said. "You have to practice with your silent cadence and get that timing down. Once you get into it, you can run the hurry-up with very little talk, just like you do in a two-minute situation. It really I think depends on what comfort level the Packers have with it."

Harrison talked about how much pressure a no-huddle tempo puts on a defense.

"I think the number one most important thing is communication, to make sure everyone is on the same page, when you go into a hostile environment," Harrison said. "That's the biggest concern for an offense. That's why pre|-season is so important and mini-camps and things of that sort. Getting down those hand signals. You blast music in practice, but it's completely different when you are playing in Seattle."

Harrison said he wonders why more teams don't use the hurry-up offense.

"It almost forces the defense to play on its heels," Harrison said. "You don't know what the offense is going to do. That's why Peyton Manning and those guys have had so much success over the years."

Sail on, Sailors

Bob Costas of NBC's "Sunday Night Football" was asked about how his network is using the Redskins nickname when Washington's team is mentioned on air.

"Right now, Washington is not on our schedule," Costas said. "That could change with flex, depending on how it goes. Obviously, their games and highlights are part of what Dan (Patrick) and company in the studio do prior to the game on Sunday night.

"What NBC has said when it comes to the National Football League and any other sports, announcers are free, according to their own comfort level, to refer to the competing teams any way that makes sense," Costas said. "You could not call the Green Bay Packers the Sheboygan Sailors. They're not. You could just call them Green Bay....Each of us will make our own decision, depending upon what our comfort level is."

Mack attached

Former Texas coach Mack Brown, who has joined ESPN as a studio analyst, was asked during a conference call this week about PaulChryst'sPittsburgh team this season.

Brown acknowledged he tried to hire Chryst, who begins his third season with the Panthers, when Chryst was the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin (2005-'11). Chryst is 13-13 as Pittsburgh's coach.

"Paul Chryst did a tremendous job at Wisconsin running the ball and managing the game, and at some times didn't have the flashy, talented, experienced quarterback," Brown said. "And he's always done a good job of making sure he takes care of the ball and protects his defense."

"Paul's into his third year now where he has a chance with his players. Usually takes a year or two to find out your problems, then a third one to get them fixed, and then it's your football team."

ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit picked the Panthers to win the Coastal Division in the ACC.

Cleaning up

On Monday, ESPN aired a report from Josina Anderson about how defensive end Michael Sam is fitting in with his St. Louis Rams teammates.

Sam is attempting to become the first openly gay player to make an NFL team roster.

Anderson's report included a reference to Sam's showering habits.

On Tuesday, ESPN issued an apology for the report, saying that it "regrets the manner in which we presented our report" and that "we collectively failed to meet the standards we have set in reporting on LGBT-related topics in sports."